July 2015's Dad Gig: Modest Mouse

Modest Mouse disappeared for eight years. Like the Loch Ness monster, we heard reports about what they were up to – working with Big Boi from OutKast and Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic, spotting UFOs and losing founding members – but there was no new record to actually prove that they really still existed.

That changed when the new album Strangers to Ourselves was released earlier this year and now you have the opportunity to actually see them in the flesh. Pitchfork referred to them as “paragons of alt-rock professionalism” in their review of the album, which may sound like a backhanded compliment, but instead actually stands as testament to their enduring appeal, treading that fine line between credibility and actually selling some records.